The Green Road Ahead
by ImmaPegacornz
Summary: Skyworld has been destroyed. Palutena has waged war against the human race. One traumatized angel is left with only one option. Stay with his mortal enemy, Viridi. Maybe, that isn't so bad after all... (I drew the cover, please do not use without my permission, thanks 3)
1. The Mischief Maker

Odd.

The only thing that came to mind.

It was odd that for 3 years, he had been incarcerated in a ring, unaware that his own protector, mother figure, friend, and inspiration, had turned into a monster, waging war against what was once their berth. It was odd that he was currently being transported to live with an enemy. It was odd that this enemy wanted to save him. It was all odd, everything was odd.

The green radiant light dissipated revealing Viridi's temple. At least, the front. It was all so colorful, bright pink, yellow, purple, white, flowers could be seen everywhere. The path, unlike lady Palutena's, was stone instead of marble. The columns holding the temple were decorate in vines and the same colorful flowers. There were so many Mediterranean Cypress trees, and palm trees as well. In fact, the door stood in between two giant Christmas Palm Trees. The temple was a piercing bleach white, unexpectedly. There was not one place without some short of plant, and there were many ponds and rivers, even lakes. Behind all the cluster of green lay the most flat pastures ever to be seen. It was absolutely beautiful.

With all of this decoration, Pit wondered what Viridi would really look like. He had "seen" her once before, but she was in the sky, and Pit didn't take note of her appearance, not even look at her. Of course, who would? She was insulting him and trying to kill him. He always did have images that came to mind when Viridi spoke. He imagined she'd be at least a teenager, ugly and cold hearted, kind of like Medusa, except Brunette or something. Or, maybe she'd be an animal. She was the goddess of nature, of course. Maybe a vicious eagle, something scary or frightening. She was evil, of course. She had to be at least grisly looking.

Pit's deep thoughts dispersed when a little blonde girl walked out of the temple, waving to Pit. A _very_ little girl, with eyes he'd never seen before. They were golden yellow, but a dark emerald green color as well. She was short, her head to his chest. She seemed about his age or a little younger. He didn't know who this was, but she was beautiful and cute, that's for sure.

"Hello, I'm Pit," Pit skittishly said. "Where's your goddess, Viridi?"

The tiny blonde stood confused, wide eyed. She then realized that Pit had never truly seen her before. She cackled a bit. Pit stood confused. The mischievous child decided to play a little game with him. "Oh, she's inside, waiting for you, of course. I'll take you to her."

"Uh, thanks," Pit said, following her.

The blonde couldn't stop giggling, leaving Pit very confused. Was he funny looking? Or did he look like a mess from the mission he had just returned on? Or was it because Viridi talked rudely about him? Whatever it was, Pit couldn't help but nervously laugh along. Though, she still was beautiful, and Pit was dying to get to know her more.

"So..." Pit stalled, "How long have you been working for Viridi?"

"Well... You could say that we know each other quite well," The Blonde chortled.

"Why do you keep laughing?" Pit questioned more, "Just what's so funny?"

Before the tiny blonde could answer, a familiar purple man with a shiny monocle entered the room. It was Arlon! Finally, a familiar face.

"Hey, hi Arlon!" Pit smiled.

"Hello, young Master Pit, and welcome," Arlon smiled warmly back, "I see you've already met mistress Viridi. Good day to you, mistress."

"THAT'S VIRIDI?" Pit yelled, looking wide eyed at the little goddess. "YOU'RE VIRIDI?" She giggled.

"Hi, Arlon," just showing Pit around."

"Hmm... I see. And you decided to show him around without him knowing who you are, I presume?" Arlon raised a brow. Viridi just giggled childishly. Pit, still surprised, was paralyzed with shock. He couldn't believe that the legendary goddess of nature, the one that moves mountains and splits seas, the one that creates new Islands and lands, the one that creates hurricanes when she sneezes, the one that creates rain when she sweats or cries, the one that makes volcanoes erupt when she's angry, the one that protects animals and the circle of life, the one that could destroy everything with the blink of an eye, was a tiny little child. And Pit thought she was beautiful, too!

"Well, I see that you're busy, then. I'll make dinner for you, my mistress," Arlon smiled.

"Thank you so much, Arlon," Viridi thanked, engulfing Arlon in a giant, firm hug. Arlon grinned even larger and patted her head. He then left for the kitchen, followed by a bunch of Flages. Viridi turned to me, lifted her chin, and closed her eyes, looking as triumphant and spoiled as ever. She strutted down the hall, prompting Pit to follow her. She led him to a vine covered door that revealed a beautiful baby blue room, with real clouds. the desk was a could, the chairs were clouds, the rug was a cloud, the lamp was a cloud even the king sized bed was a cloud. Pit couldn't believe it, it was beautiful. It was just like.. Home.

"Listen up, dweeb. I know how it feels to miss someone or something," Viridi began, "So.. I decided to redo my whole guest room to look like Skyworld in order to make you fell at home. If you need anything, you can call me, got it?"

Pit's eyes were red, filling up with tears. His body turned so that viridi couldn't see him. He couldn't believe how beautiful it was. it was really just like home. Viridi even added a giant window ceiling so that the sun could shine right into the room, bring it's grand embracing warmth. Then at night, the moon could give it's calming gaze, just like it always did in Skyworld. To think, Viridi, the one who wanted to kill him not too long ago, just gave him the greatest gift of all.

"I said, got it?" Viridi repeated, not taking much liking to being ignored. "Look, you don't have to like i-"

Cutting Viridi off, Pit embraced Viridi with a giant, warm hug. The little goddess was surprised for a good solid minute, until she finally accepted the token of gratitude.

"Thank you so much," Pit cried. "You're being so kind. But why?"

Viridi sighed. "I know what it's like." She mumbled, almost inaudible. She lowered her head and shut her eyes. Pit, oblivious as he is, decided to continue.

"Lady Palutena is like my mother.." Pit continued. "She's always been there for me, and now.. Now she's gone. I'm stranded, I don't know what to do. I can't live without her... No.. Not when she's like this. The words she said to me.. They were like swords... You can probably tell how I feel, I-"

"Shut.. UP!" Viridi screamed, Pit stayed silent. The blonde goddess sighed and lowered her head.

"Viridi?" Pit asked. "Is... Are you alright?"

Viridi stood still, her face towards the paused for a long time before she replied. "I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm in my room if you need me, get some rest. The day's been long."

Viridi rushed off. _That was weird_ , Pit thought. _One minute she was all cheerful and giggling, then I say one thing, and she flips! There's no keeping tabs on her!_ Pit stopped his complaining once he entered his room. Just seeing it reminded of him of how kind Viridi could be, if only she'd show it more. Pit sat on his bed, trying to fathom everything that happened. _A nap. That's what I need... Sleep. Just.. Just rest._

 _*~*~TGRA~*~*_

 _"Lady Palutena! Please... Stop all of this!"_

 _"You're so naive. So immature. Like I said before, things change. Gods never stay the same. Pit, don't you see? You're useless. You think I loved you? I loved to take care of you? Ha! I never loved you, I never wanted you. I should have sent you to the Angel center."_

 _No! No, Lady Palutena! You know what they do to Angels there! You... You don't really want me to go there.. Do you?"_

 _"No.. I don't..."_

 _"Lady Palutena?"_

 _"...I'd rather destroy you myself. I hate you Pit, goodbye."_

 _"No! Lady Palutena! No! Please! Please, I love you! NO!"_

"Wake up already!" Viridi yelled, shaking Pit. The angel warrior rapidly lifted himself up, taking a giant gasp. Tears filled his eyes. A sharp pain started to form in the bottom of his stomach. He didn't know what was happening to him. He lifted his hand and placed it on his heart. It was beating so fast, it started to burn. Everything inside him was screaming, everything inside hurt. He shook... He couldn't hold it any longer. He exploded in tears. Viridi was shocked.

"What's the matter? It was just a dream!" Viridi asked, wondering how to comfort him. "W-W-why are you-"

Pit suddenly grabbed Viridi, and pulled her closer to him. He Pulled her head to his chest and squeezed it. Viridi was so shock, she couldn't even speak. Her cheeks were bright red, and she could feel Pit's tears falling on top of her. Pit, shaking even harder, then started to rock back and forth, still holding Viridi in a tight hug. Viridi couldn't free herself. He looked down at her, his eyes stained crimson from tears. Viridi blushed. Pit then noticed how tight he was squeezing Viridi. It must've hurt, and it did, but Viridi was too flustered to care. He quickly let go of her, letting her catch herself again.

"Pit..." Viridi sighed. "look, I know you miss Palutena, I know it's hard."

"No you don't, Viridi." Pit sniffled. "You've been pampered all your life. You're a goddess..."

"You don't know anything about me! Not a thing!" Viridi growled, but quickly collected herself again, trying not to upset Pit more. "Look, I apologize for that. But I know it's tough."

"Viridi... What happened to you?" Pit asked, concerned.

Viridi wanted to tell him, but she couldn't allow herself to. He'd think of her differently, as weak, he wouldn't respect her. But how she burned to let him know everything. "Nothing."

The two sat silently for a good while. The tiny blonde goddess spread her arms, sending an invite to Pit. Pit accepted, and hugged her tightly.

"We'll save Palutena, I'll help you, I promise. Goddess's word!" Viridi comforted.

"You really will? Really REALLY?"

"Of course!"

Pit's eyes watered once again. "Viridi, you're the kindest goddess I've ever met, besides Lady Palutena. But why, Viridi? Why?"

"... It's just in my best interest to keep you alive for now. Now, get some shut eye. We go save Palutena tomorrow!"

"Thanks, for everything. Goodnight."

Viridi smiled and walked to the door. "Goodnight, dweeb."


	2. Freezing to Death

_**Ayyyyyyyyyeee so I'm a lil mad because this is m third time writing this long chapter becasue FF keeps destroying it sooooo :) I'm going to go absolutely insane if i becomes a fourth you have no idea... Anyway, made sure to make this chapter extra long and juicy for the long wait! I don't doubt there's grammar issues in this one, too lazy to skim over because you know, third time :))))))))))) enjoy!**_

A few months later, Pit and Viridi started to get extremely close. When Viridi wasn't busy or taking Pit on a mission, and Pit wasn't training, the two would take long strolls through the forest, just talking about life and their problems. They'd even role play together, play tag, hide and seek, and old games that only would amuse the young. The more they hung out, the more Viridi began to open up about her past. She told Pit about her mother, her sister, and all the abuse she went through. Pit couldn't believe everything she had gone through. He made it clear to her that they were both depressed, Pit longing to see Palutena again, and Viridi longing to forget her awful past.

As the months changed, so did the seasons. Spring turned into summer, summer turned into fall, and the winter months were dawning closer and closer, and the first leaf finally fell. This didn't go unnoticed by Arlon, who always looked for those signs.

Viridi, being the goddess of nature, is connected to all plant life. Nature is connected to Viridi's emotions, going both ways. As the plants die in the winter, Viridi becomes deathly ill during the winter. As the winter and snowfall gets worse, so does Viridi's condition. _And just when she was finally starting to find happiness again,_ Arlon thought to himself. _It has to be taken away from her so soon. How I wish I could take her place..._

"Hey Arlon!" A familiar voice came from behind, "Have you seen Viridi?"

"Oh, hello, young master Pit!" Arlon smiled, as he usually did, "Mistress is..."

He paused, leaving Pit a little stunned. Arlon never stuttered when he talked. He always gave a definite and quick answer to things. Something must've been wrong. "Mistress is incredibly busy," he began again, "and does not wish to see you at this moment my apologies."

"She's been awfully busy," Pit said, his hand on his chin, "I haven't seen her for a week now, and I'm living in her temple! Are you sure she's alright?"

Arlon burned inside to tell Pit about his Mistress's condition, but he was bound by word not to. Viridi had made him promise not to tell Pit that she was sick, for whatever reason he did not know.

"She's fine, young master," Arlon reassured, "She's just has lots to do."

"You know," Pit began, "I'm stating to get the feeling Viridi doesn't want to help me anymore. I haven't seen her for a week and whenever I try to go to her room, the hallway door to her room is locked shut."

"No, no, young master, Pit!" Arlon replied, "Viridi just has a lot to do, that's all."

"She promised me, Arlon," Pit said, agitatedly, "What could be so possible important that she has to just disappear without any word? I knew I shouldn't have trusted her..."

"Promises are very important to Viridi," Arlon replied, trying to ease his tension, "She'd never just abandon you like that."

"Oh yeah? Then tell Viridi to meet me at the giant moss rock this evening, and if she doesn't show up, then... Then... I'll leave and nver talk to her again.. I'll just have to find someone else to help me. I need to save Lady Palutena, and I can't let Viridi stop me just because she's 'busy.'"

"Oh come now, young master Pit," Arlon replied, "With all do respect, there's no reason to be so hasty."

"I'm not being hasty, all she has to do is come to the rock, say hi, tell me what's been keeping her so busy, and leave. Then I'll know that she still is helping me. I have to save Lady Palutena, Arlon. I have to."

"Alright, I will pass your message on to mistress Viridi."

Pit thanked Arlon and proceeded to walk away. Arlon sighed heavily, and walked to the kitchen. He opened the drawer and took out a teaspoon. He then went to the cabinet and poured the medicine into the spoon. As he walked up the stairs and through the halls, he grabbed a tissue box, just in case she needed more. The closer he got to her room, the louder the coughs and sneezes became. They urged Arlon to hustle. He gave two little knocks on her wooden door. "Come in," a nasally voice replied.

When Arlon walked in, he was distraught by how worse she had gotten in just the span of a week. She was shivering and shaking, but also was sweating at the same time. Her hair had gone from a beautiful snow blonde to a completely grey, dull yellow. There were giant bags under her eyes, and her lips had tinted blue. Her skin was completely pale, and she was breathing heavily, letting out a tiny whine at every breath she took.

"Mistress, I have your medicine," Arlon ran to the side of the little ill child, and fed her the medicine prescribed to her by the doctor, Demeter. Viridi gulped it down completely, then had a coughing fit, something she had way too often.

"Arlon.. I-I-I'm so _*cough*_ cold..." Viridi whispered, shivering and coughing, "I'm freezing _*cough*_ to death.."

"Mistress Viridi, it's 80F degrees in your room," Arlon replied, grabbing a tissue to wipe the sweat off of her face then his, "You're sweating."

"Turn it to 100."

"100?! Mistress! Absolutely not! Your feel cold because of your illness, but your body i-"

"ARLON! I'M _*cough*_ I'M _*cough*_ I'M * _cough* *gag* *hack* *wheeze*_ UGH I'M FREEZING _*cough*_ COLD!" Viridi yelled the loudest she could, which wasn't loud at all, it was barely over a whisper, "HURRY AND TURN IT UP!"

Arlon simply crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, deciding on whether he should turn it up or not. Though, he quickly made up his mind when a simple beg persuaded him.

"Please..." Viridi coughed, her voice turning desperate, "Please, I'm cold."

Arlon couldn't ignore a beg like that, especially form his mistress.

"Anything, my dear."

"You know my dear mistress, young master Pit was looking for you today," Arlon told Viridi as he moved her hair out of her face.

"Oh.." Viridi replied, barely audible, "You didn't _*cough*_ tell him, did you?"

"No, I didn't. But... He told me to tell you that he wishes to meet you at the giant moss rock this evening...He says if you don't come... He'll leave and never come back or talk to you again."

"What?! Why? I can't see him when I'm sick like this?!"

"I know you cannot, mistress. But he doesn't know you're sick. This can all be resolved if you let me tell him about your cond-"

"NO! No! I'll just go to the stupid * _cough*_ rock and see him. If he finds out I'm sick, he'll leave because he will think I won't be able to help him find Palutena and abandon me..."

Arlon was taken back by that statement, "Absolutely not, mistress! You aren't going anywhere this winter! You know that if you are exposed to the outside your condition will worsen. Plus, I have a feeling it may snow.. Pit would help you get well then abandon you."

"But Arlon, we don't know if it will snow!" Viridi exclaimed, sitting up.

"I said no, mistress," Arlon said sternly, laying her back down, "You must rest and get well, and we will discuss this after you've gotten a good rest. But until then, you are to stay in bed, do you understand?"

Viridi said nothing and simply nodded her head. She couldn't fight with Arlon. Arlon was a parent to Viridi, since she never had a true figure like that in her life before. Of course, she had her mother, but their time spent together was very brief, so Arlon was the only parent Viridi ever really knew. He knew Viridi since she was three thousand years old, and had been taking care of her ever since, while still being her commander and butler. Though Viridi is an extremely powerful goddess, she's still a child, and never had anyone to point out to her what was right from wrong besides Arlon. Though, he was a father to her, he still knew that she was his boss, and had to make sure to follow her commands whenever he could. It was extremely difficult to order his mistress around sometimes, but it always helped that Viridi always obeyed, until now.

Once Viridi knew for sure Arlon had left, she hopped out of her bed and put on 3 pairs of fuzzy socks. She then walked to her closet, collapsing along the way. She put on 4 giant winter coats, 5 mittens, 2 scarfs and ear muffs. Even with all the excessive clothing, she still felt like as if she was going to freeze to death. She opened the doors to her balcony, exposing herself to the freezing temperatures. She started to shiver even more, but she decided to keep going. She grabbed onto a palm tree and slid down it like a firemen going to put out a fire. Once she hit the bottom, she collapsed onto the cold ground, breathing heavily. She could feel herself getting worse and worse, and she started to feel pain every time she coughed or took a breath. _For Pit.._ She thought to herself, _do it for Pit..._ She hoisted herself up, forcing her weak body to carry on.

Every step she took felt like fire was going through her body. Everything started to ache. She couldn't feel her legs, and she couldn't feel her fingers. Every time she inhaled, it felt like she was swallowing tiny daggers, and they were piercing through her trachea. She started to shiver so much it became painful. _My vision... Oh gods... Everything's blurry... Everything hurts... My vision... Oh gods, I think I'm going blind... Why did I do this? Why didn't I just listen to Arlon and stay in bed? I want to go home..._

Meanwhile, Pit stood at the rock, waiting for Viridi. _Is she even going to come...?_ He thought. But as he looked on, a figure appeared in the distance, as it came closer and closer, it became more recognizable then ever.

"Viridi!" Pit exclaimed. Viridi stood there, not moving. So Pit decided to go to her. As he got closer, he noticed all the layers of clothes she had on, and then he noticed how awful and sickly she looked.

"Viridi! What happened to you? You look awful!"

"Pit... I don't feel well. _*cough*_ I want to go home, take me home..." Viridi said, not hearing a word he said, "I think I've gone _*cough*_ deaf and blind."

"Viridi?! What are you talking about?! DEAF AND BLIND? Are you okay?! What happened? Why are you coughing?"

Then, a little white dot fell from the sky. Viridi squinted her eyes to try to see what fell, but could only see a blurry mess. "Pit.. What just fell?"

"Snow, Viridi. It's snowing."

Viridi's face lit up in horror as she looked frantically for shelter. She couldn't find any.

"Pit! I need to _*cough*_ get out of here!" Viridi yelled, wide-eyed. "You need to get _*cough*_ me out of here and fast! I-I"

It was too late. The snow started to fall, and as it fell onto Viridi, rather than just turning into water, it purged into her skin.

"You're bleeding," Pit exclaimed, not believing his own statement, "Viridi, you're bleeding!"

"Pit! Pit it hurts! Ow! OW! OW IT REALLY HURTS!" Viridi started to scream, and tears fell from her eyes, "It's the *cough* snow! I'll explain *cough* later, OW! Please, Pit, Augh! Help me!"

After hearing Viridi's yell for help, he quickly got over his shock and scooped Viridi into his arms. He ran as fast as he could. As he ran, he started to think about the situation, and quickly started to blame himself for what was happening to Viridi. By the time they reached Viridi's forest, Viridi was drenched in blood. Pit's hand were drenched as well from all of Viridi's blood. Every time a snowflake landed on her, it sunk deep into her skin, causing her to blister and bleed. It felt like fire and 1,000 bee stings. Not to mention her sickness as well. She felt like she was freezing to death, and started to shake violently. She was barely conscious.

"Pit.." Viridi whispered

"Yes, Viridi? We're almost at your temple," Pit reassured.

"Pit.. Am I... A-A-Am I going to die?" She shivered.

"NO! NO! Don't even say that! You're going to be just fine!" Pit said, but in reality, he was afraid she wouldn't make it. "Besides, you're immortal."

"No... Immortality *cough* doesn't work t-t-that way, Pit. Gods can't die of old *cough* age or *cough* or human s-s-s-sicknesses or anything l-l-like that, but they can still *cough* b-b-b-be taken down. But it takes a l-l-lot to take down a g-g-g-god. My mother's dead... And I will b-be too..."

"Stop saying that, Viridi! I mean it! You'll be fine! Besides Lady Palutena, you're one of the strongest goddess I know!"

"Pit," Viridi pestered once again, "Why are you h-h-helping me?"

"Why did you help me? Your reason may be different then mine, but over the past few months I've been here, I've really grown fond of you, Viridi. To be honest, I don't have any friends, and you're the first person my age who's actually reached out to me, despite our dispute at the beginning, you still helped me... Maybe because you like me, maybe because you just want to keep me alive to save your own skin, I don't know, but whatever the reason is- you are still here for me. And now it's time for me to be here for you. And... Well... I really li- never mind.

"You really what?" Viridi asked, hoping to get Pit to finish his sentence.

"Nothing, Viridi. You're going to be fine. Here," Pit took off his toga, and wrapped it around her bloody body, "I know you're freezing, try and keep yourself warm."

"Thank you..."

Viridi finally passed out after fighting to stay awake all that time. Luckily for her, Pit arrived at the temple just as she had fainted. He ran inside and found Arlon. When he saw his mistress's bloody body, he couldn't hold it in. For the first time ever, Arlon _cried_. Not the first time Pit had seen him, not the first time anyone saw him, but for the first time, he shed tears. He gave Demeter a call and ran Viridi back up into her room, shut the door tight, locking it so that no one would be able to come in, unless it was Dr. Demeter coming to help. Pit couldn't even go inside to see if Viridi was going to be okay, he couldn't even bring himself to wash her blood off of his hands.

It would be the longest night he'd ever have to go through.

 _ **Soooo what'll happen next? Will Arlon blame Pit for what happened? Will Pit leave Viridi and save Palutena himself? Will FanFiction stop being a headass and deleting my chapters because this is the third time I've had to write this long chapter and I think I'm going to blow (^: tune in next time while i get some sleep.**_


	3. Aftermath

_**Heyo everyone! New chapter! I've been meaning to edit a bit about Viridi's meeting with Arlon in my story, "Beginnings." I just never thought their meeting was deep or symbolic enough, hence the different meeting story. I'll edit that in Beginnings soon, everything with Viridi's backstory is still the same though, just how she met Arlon is diff. Also, Arlon's gonna get a lil bit of lore himself too! Hope you enjoy!**_

When the golden light of dawn painted the sky through a placenta of colors, the little angel allowed himself to be touched by the early morning sun's rays, causing his eyes to peer open. He blinked softly, rubbed his eyes and let out a soft yawn. Not able to remember the events of the day before, the young warrior looked around the room, wondering where he was. Though, his fugue state didn't last for long when his sky blue eyes stumbled upon a shut wooden door. He then remembered all the events of the other day and burst into a frantic mess. He flung himself into the door, fidgeting violently with the doorknob, trying his best to get in. Though, his attempts were futile. He melted down to the floor trembling, hugging his knees tightly as tears started to stream down his face. _It's all my fault,_ he thought. _I was so selfish... It's all my fault..._

Suddenly, the door slightly crept open. Out came a tall purple man, closing the door slowly behind him. Pit quickly stood up, wiping his tears from his face, hoping Arlon wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, he did notice, but didn't care enough to point it out. Instead, the man sighed depressingly and slowly walked away. He took a seat on the couch, his arms leaning on his knees and his head drooping low. The melancholy closed his eyes, as if he was holding back tears. Pit couldn't help but notice. He wanted to approach Arlon, but he feared he would be speech deprived and not know what to say. He also worried that Arlon would blame him for the incident. Pit stood quietly for a few seconds deciding if he should go talk to him, and find out how Viridi was doing as well. The white winged warrior sighed softly, and took a seat near Arlon. "Hey Arlon," Pit said hoarsely. Arlon didn't reply. In fact, he didn't even turn his head to him. It was like he didn't hear the angel. Pit sighed deeply, almost on the verge of tears.

"Arlon, please.." Pit began again, now crying and twiddling with his thumbs. "I know you hate me. I know you blame me for what happened. I blame myself too. I'm so sorry Arlon, I put Viridi through so much pain... I know you don't want me here. I just want to know Viridi's ok. The minute I know, I'll leave. I won't come back, I've already caused too much damage... I'm so sorry."

Arlon opened his eyes and turned his attention to the young angel. He blinked sparingly as he watched the angel break down. He sighed softly and stretched out his arms to embrace him in a giant, warm hug. He held his face, rubbing his arm and back as he wept.

"I don't blame you," he said softly, almost inaudible, "and I certainly don't hate you either. It's not your fault, young master Pit. You hadn't the slightest clue that Mistress Viridi was ill. In fact, I'm proud of you."

Pit looked up curiously to the tall man, wiping his tears. "What do you mean? Proud of me? For what?"

"You got Viridi home in an impeccable amount of time. If it weren't for your fast thinking, she would be dead by now. I thank you, young master Pit. I really do," Arlon smiled.

"Thanks," Pit sniffled, "but she wouldn't even be here if it weren't for me... I can't forgive myself, but I'm happy that you have."

The two sat in silence for a while, enjoying each other's company. Pit, still in Arlon's arms, finally finding the courage to speak again, sat up. "Arlon," he began, "I don't understand... What is happening to Viridi? Why was she bleeding? I'm so confused."

Arlon sighed heavily, taking a moment before answering, "Well, it is a long story. I was afraid you'd ask, but I can't keep this hidden for any longer. Mistress wishes that no one knows abut this, but I know better than anyone that it cannot stay that way. If you knew, this whole thing wouldn't have happened. That's why I must tell you, and that I shall. I'll start from the beginning." Arlon said as he leaned back while Pit braced himself for the story.

"When I first met mistress, she was just a little baby. She could barely speak, she could barely even run. She was around her late 2,000's, almost 3,000. I found her while I was walking through Skytropolis. You may not believe this, but in the past, I was not the same. In fact, I was totally different. I was reckless, a drinker and an abuser of certain substances. I was certainly a mess-"

"You? YOU?" Pit interjected.

"Yes, as I said, it's hard to believe. My kind was created for one soul purpose- to be butlers. My parents wanted me to continue the tradition of my people, but I was immature and wanted nothing to do with that kind of life. So I ran away and ended up meeting people and doing stuff that I now regret doing. But that's another story. Anyway, I remember it clearly- it was the afternoon, I had a dispute earlier with someone, and ended off trying to drink away my troubles. That ended terribly. I ended up going on a walk and during it, I spotted Mistress Viridi. She was just the cutest little thing I had ever seen. She was only a foot tall and she covered herself in newspapers. Her only home was a box. Though, since I wasn't in the correct state of mind, I did something awful. I lost my step and plundered right into the box, almost crushing Mistress Viridi. She levitated away just in time, and only suffered some minor injuries, at least, compared to the ones she already had form her wicked sister. Unfortunately, her little home was destroyed. She had no shelter to stay in, and I walked away. During the night, I finally woke up after crashing and remembered the terrible thing I had done. Anxiety grew inside of me and I couldn't stop wondering what had happened to her now that she had no shelter. So, I decided to go look for her. After searching for a while, I found her in a trash can, covering herself with garbage to keep her dry from the pouring rain outside. She was shivering tremendously and after I finally gained her trust I decided to take care of her. Though, a month later, she started to have bad coughing fits. I freaked out and debated on whether I should take her to Demeter or not. I should've just let her rest, but I was filled with worry. I decided to take her to the nurse. It was snowing that day, snowing badly. The moment I took her out, she was covered in blood, blisters, and almost on the verge of death. She couldn't breathe. I really thought I was going to lose her that day. I got her to Demeter, and she informed me that this was hereditary. Her mother, Gaia, used to have winter sicknesses. But Demeter then found out that even though it was hereditary, mistress Viridi could only get it every winter the way her mom used to if it was triggered by something. The reason that mistress Viridi get's horribly sick every winter is because of me, Pit. I took her out in the snow that day simply because she was coughing. The snow triggered it. If I.. If I hadn't of freaked out and overreacted, mistress Viridi would be able to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas, of course not outside, but at least she wouldn't be deathly sick like she is all the time. It's all my fault, young master Pit. Mistress would have been better off without knowing me."

Pit sat in silence. He was absolutely shocked. Mostly, he was stunned at the fact Arlon was in tears. He hugged Arlon tightly.

"It isn't your fault, Arlon," Pit began, "Please please please don't blame yourself. If you hadn't have ever taken Viridi, she wouldn't even be alive! She would've never made it any longer on the streets. You did your best, and Viridi loves you so much. She always talks about how much she loves you!"

"Thank you, young master. I'm just glad I could share this with you."

As the two hugged each other, Demeter walked out of the room. "Hello, I suspect you're all wondering how Viridi's feeling."

"Yes please," Arlon cried, "how is she?"

"She'll be okay,"Demeter sighed softly as she pushed up her glasses, "though, unfortunately, her condition has worsened and will probably be this way for the rest of the winter. She's awake if you would like to see her."

"Thank you," Arlon sighed, "also, if you don't mind, young master Pit, I'd like to go have a chat with mistress alone first before you go in."

Pit nodded and shifted to the side, allowing the tall man to enter the ill goddess's room.

The room felt like a furnace, the heat was intense. Viridi's struggle to keep breathing was the only thing that could be heard. When Pit approached her bed stricken body, he saw all her injuries. She was covered up in bandages and hooked up to all sorts of different machines, but even with all of that, her injuries were still present. Suddenly, Viridi's eyes shot open as she heard footsteps. She peered over her side, noticing that it was just the sound of Arlon. She attempted to smile, but broke into a coughing fit instead.

"Oh, mistress!" Arlon exclaimed, running up to her engulfing her in a big hug. "How are you feeling, my dear?"

"Hi Arlon. A-awful and super sore," she said in an incredibly raspy voice, "a-and I-I'm super cold. It's h-hard to breathe."

"Mistress.." Arlon sighed, "What in the world were you thinking?"

"W-What d-do you mean?"

Grabbing her shoulders "You disobeyed me, Mistress," Arlon raised his voice slightly, still wasn't much louder than a whisper. "You've never done that before. You could've di-"

"Arlon?"

"Nevermind. Get some rest."

Arlon stormed out of the room, leaving Viridi distressed. She had never been "yelled" at by Arlon before, mostly because she would have never thought to disobey him or go against his word. The little blonde goddess had always felt obligated to be obedient to Arlon because of all he had done for her. Disappointing Arlon tore a hole in her heart. Viridi always had a tendency to take the most arbitrary of things to heart, especially if it was said by Arlon. When she used to live with Aphrodite, she would be physically and mentally abused if she made the most tiniest mistake. Hearing Arlon say he was disappointed in her made her feel like he hated her. Viridi started to shake tremendously at that thought. Her breathing became louder and stronger, and was almost on the verge of tears.

This didn't go unheard of. Pit could hear Viridi's loud and strong breathing from the other side of the door. Once he saw Arlon burst out of the room, he knew something was wrong. He knocked on her door, but there was no answer. He thought for a minute, deciding if he should just let himself in. As her gasping became louder, he decided to walk in.

"Viridi?" He asked, "Are you alright?"

"N-N-No..." Viridi shivered, taking a gasp at every word, "P-Pit, he *cough* hates me. He *cough* hates me! I'm so terrible, I-I didn't m-mean to disobey, I-I j-just had to t-talk to you. He hates me, I'm *cough s-so awful."

Pit was stunned. He couldn't believe that Viridi would actually think that Arlon hated her because he lectured her. He sat next to Viridi and embraced her in a giant hug. She continued to cry in his arms.

"He doesn't hate you, he loves you so much," Pit comforted. "In fact, the reason he lectured you was because he was afraid he was going to lose you. He got scared, Viridi. And it's not your fault, it's mine."

Viridi sniffled a bit, then wiped her tears away. "I-It is.. Isn't it?"

Pit looked at her blankly.

"Chill," Viridi chuckled, in which she regretted soon after a coughing fit and loud gasps for air followed. "It's my f-fault, I-I-I should've *cough* t-told you about my illness, I'm sorry. Y-you really think he d-d-doesn't hate me?"

"Viridi," Pit said, holding her tighter, "I know so. Also, glad to see your sarcastic self hasn't gone away. Now you're shivering cold and covered in blisters and bandages. Not to mention you're super sick. So please, stop worrying too much and relax."

The two sat in silence for a bit. Viridi then looked up at Pit and opened her mouth. "Guess you got to *cough* find someone else to help you find Palutena, huh?"

"Wait.. What?" Pit said shockingly. "You're sick! I'm not leaving you till you get better! You're my friend, Viridi. You are helping me save Lady Palutena, it's really the least I can do."

"No Pit, I'm serious," Viridi frowned. "Y-You have to *cough* find someone else. Palutena n-n-needs you."

"And you need me too, end of discussion," Pit said. "Besides, I was kinda bluffing."

"What?"

"I really don't know anybody else... Heh, you're the only person who can help me."

"You're a r-r-real dweeb, have I ever told you t-that, loser?"

"Yep! Many times!"

Okay, I'll tell you again then, dweeb." Viridi chuckled. "And hey, once I-I'm done s-sleeping *cough* how a-about a game of Connect 4?" Viridi smiled.

"Haha, sure. I won't go easy on ya just because you're sick, though! I'm gonna win!"

"W-w-we'll see about that."

The night felt like a tundra. It was freezing cold and the little goddess felt like an icicle. She couldn't fall asleep and could barely breathe. Her gasps for air became bigger and louder while the minutes passed. It had been hours after Pit and Arlon had been there and she still couldn't relax. All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door. _This late? Viridi thought. It must be Demeter wanting to run more tests._ "Come in," Viridi said, barely audible.

"May I come in, mistress?" Arlon peered through the door.

Caught off guard, Viridi slowly sat up and quickly tried to wipe her tears away. Though, it didn't become unnoticed by Arlon.

"Mistress," Arlon said, embracing her in a hug. "I know you aren't feeling so we-"

"No," Viridi replied quietly,"I-It's not how I'm f-f-feeling."

"What is it then?" Arlon confusedly said.

"Y-You're dissap-pointed in me," Viridi said shaking, Arlon was shocked that she was taking it to heart. Though, he then remembered the last time Viridi was lectured or yelled at was under Aphrodite's roof.

"No Mistress, I'm not," Arlon sighed. "I raised my voice, but it was simply because I was worried about you. You really scared me with that awful stunt today."

"I h-had to. Pit was g-gonna-"

"Yes, I know. I know he's the only friend you have now and you didn't want to lose that, I'm sorry I was so hard on you."

"Y-You weren't, Arlon. You d-didn't even raise y-your voice. My s-sister used to v-verbally abuse me as well as physical, so I know what y-y-yelling sounds like. I just didn't want to d-d-disappoint you. You've done s-so much for me, I c-c-couldn't do that to y-you.." Viridi said, which was shadowed by a huge coughing fit.

"Well, I'm glad you weren't offended, Mistress," Arlon smiled. "No matter how many times you raise your voice at me, which seems to be frequent these days, complain about your problems to me, or spill some of your 100% vegan juice in the lunar sanctum, I still will never be disappointed in you, Mistress Viridi."

"W-w-well that w-was very specific." Viridi chuckled. "I love you, Arlon."

"I love you too, Mistress Viridi. I will serve you forever." Arlon smiled, holding her tighter.

 _ **awww that's cute anyway yeah i hope u all like the lore i added for arlon. i wanted to give him a back story cuz arlon doesn't get any love and he's such a cool tall dude. also, i hope i portrayed how arlon feels to viridi well enuff. he's a father figure to viridi and stuff. also, one last thing, this is the events that occur between the chaos kin events and living with viridi. this is in between missions, but this whole v getting sick thing happens before the last mission and i want y'all to know that in my universe, saving palutena was kinda a longish term thing. that being said, while viridi's sickness lasts for 4-5 months in total, time is definitely different in skyworld. That would be about 4-5 weeks, so like a month or so. anyway hope y'all enjoyed this heart warming chapter, feedback always appreciated, I love feedback~**_


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